1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a passive display unit for displaying text and graphical information such as advertisements and other information, and an accompanying operating system.
2. Background Description
Advertisements, promotions and community information play a critical role in the sale of items and products within a retail environment. Such advertisements may take many different forms from displays to general placards, and other signage. Promotions, on the other hand, may include coupons, rebates and product samples. In either case of advertisements or promotions, it has been found that consumers respond favorably to these marketing devices, thus resulting in increased store sales. Community information may include, for example, community seasonal events.
However, it is desirable to find new marketing devices to encourage the consumer to increase their purchasing in a particular retail environment. For example, neon signage has increased over the years to attract a consumer to a specific retail store. Once in the store the retailer further encourages the consumer to purchase items through the use of public announcements and other sales tactics.
In one known method of advertisement, a printed sign is placed on a shopping cart to encourage the consumer to purchase a certain item. These signs are periodically changed which is very time consuming and expensive since large retailer may have hundreds of shopping carts and the signs must be changed on all of the carts.
To overcome the burdens of changing each sign on each shopping cart, interactive systems have been developed which display advertisements for specific items as the shopping cart is transported through the retail environment. In one approach, an electronic display unit and transceiver is mounted on a cart. Throughout the retail environment are several transmitters programmed with information concerning a specific item of interest, typically near the transmitter. As the consumer approaches a specific item, the receiver on the display will receive a product-specific message transmitted from the transmitter through what is sometimes referred to as a “trigger signal”. These display units are also interactive where they allow the consumer to, for example,                choose between different settings,        choose different promotions,        pay for an item at the shopping cart,        perform calculations,        input information via keys, bar code readers and scanners so that the consumer may request certain information concerning placement or sale of certain products,        order items from other areas of the store (such as food from the deli),        get maps/directions to products in the store, and        get recipes/recommendations for food preparation.        
In more sophisticated systems, the display may allow a consumer to organize a shopping list in accordance with locations of products within a store. This may be accomplished by generating a list in accordance with a cash register tape bearing a bar code. In some other systems, the units may keep track of and record the purchasing habits of a consumer. Some of these systems also act as a redemption coupon device.
In any case, it is known that these interactive systems are expensive and complex. For example, the components supporting these systems such as many transmitters and the like are complex systems which require expensive support. The placement of many wireless transmitters throughout each store is cumbersome, requiring complex installation and maintenance with a high likelihood of interference with in-store IT systems. These systems may even, in fact, interfere with one another causing consumer confusion, mis-information and the like.
In addition, these systems require the consumer to interact with the devices by pushing buttons, swiping I.D. cards, and navigating through on-screen menus to receive content. This has been known to be frustrating to the consumer to the extent that the consumer will no longer interact with the system and, in many, cases completely ignore the display, to the detriment of sales within the retail environment. Also, such systems require the display unit to transmit signals and interact with other devices throughout the store. In some applications, due to interference, these systems do not work properly.
Some of these system lack privacy which is inherent with “personalized” systems. This is considered a significant negative by most shoppers. And “alert” systems (e.g., beeping, flashing, and vibrating to draw attention to certain products) are considered a severe annoyance. These interactive systems are also very delicate, and cannot withstand the high-impact environments and outdoor usage and storage that a shopping cart must endure. Additionally, the inclusion of buttons, additional components and overall device size leads to an increased probability of breakage.
It is also known that these interactive devices have very high power consumption (multiple cells, external battery packs, or built-in rechargeable). This leads to short battery life due to their complex functionality. Additionally, these devices are overly bulky due to their added functionality such as large display screens, numerous buttons, bar code readers, navigation devices, card swipe components, etc. For this reason, and the reasons above, these devices are delicate and not designed to be permanently mounted on the shopping cart handle. Many require the consumer to seek out a device and place it on the cart, or require that the carts remain indoors.
The invention overcomes one or more of these shortcomings.